AIM:To establish the gastric cancerous multidrug resistance cell stain BGC823/5-FU and investigate the relationship between the resistance and the expression of apoptosis related protein Survivin, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3. METHODS: Human gastric cancer cell line BGC823 was induced into MDR cell line by intermittent administration of high dose of 5-FU. MTT assay was used to detect the sensitivity of these MDR cells to some chemotherapeutic agents. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of P-glucoprotein and the accumulative value of intracellular daunorubicin (DNR) in these MDR cells. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Survivin, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3. RESULTS: The resistance cell stain BGC823/5-FU was established, which possessed the ability of 10.82 fold resistance to 5-FU and cross-resistance to adriamycin, mitomycin C and cisplatin. The expression of P-glucoprotein was higher in BGC823/5-FU cells than that in BGC823 cells, while the accumulative value of intracellular DNR was decreased in BGC823/5-FU cells. Compared with its parent cells, expressions of Bax and caspase-3 in BGC823/5-FU cells were significantly down-regulated, surviving and Bcl-2 were upregulated in BGC823/5-FU cells. CONCLUSION: Gastric cancer cell line BGC823 has been induced into MDR cell line BGC823/5-FU. P-glucoprotein, Survivin, Bcl-2/Bax ratio and caspase-3 may play an important role in MDR of BGC823/5-FU cells.